


Hidden in the Leaves

by Persnikitty



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 08:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16425812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persnikitty/pseuds/Persnikitty
Summary: A different take on Konoha's founding.





	Hidden in the Leaves

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Masashi.

Konohagakure no sato lived up to its namesake, as the village was rather well hidden in the leaves. This was not a new thing, nor was it even remotely clandestine. It, just like almost all the other villages and cities, was hidden by the leaves, limbs and trees which covered the Land of Fire like a vernal blanket a hundred feet thick.

There were a few exceptions. Fire's Capital was situated among the dormant peaks of Kuni's volcanic range, where all greenery had to be brought in routinely, thanks in large part to the acidic nature of the thin soil.

Another location was the eastern coast, broadly speaking. Along most of the length of craggy shore, the trees marched right up to the crumbling cliffs overlooking stormy bays tens of meters below. Only in a few places were there actual beaches and mooring points, the inhabitants finding it much easier to expand out across the water rather than attempting to carve space in the forests.

Those villages usually ended up stilted, leaving the ground relatively clutter-free for rice fields. Given the sheer thickness of the massive forest, there just weren't that many places open enough for agriculture. This wasn't always the case though.

Some hundred years ago, while there had been some stands of trees, most of Fire Country was meadow and prairie. More temperate than the Land of Wind, Fire enjoyed almost as much sun, earning its name not from the volcanic ranges in the north, but for the massive fields of golden wheat and red corn. Coupled with rice fields which ran for hundreds of miles, Kuni was the breadbasket of the Elemental Nations, supplemented by domesticated game animals and fishing.

Only Wind Country came close in agricultural production yields, though that country had always had logistical issues.

Next to agriculture, the largest industry was pottery, for one needed ways to preserve and transport grain and other food stock. Leading this industry were the Uchiha, undisputed masters of the throwing wheel and kiln. So complete was their market dominance that their own clan symbol, a red fan with a white handle, symbolic of the kiln flames, became synonymous with elite wares.

They became masters of flame out of necessity for the proper glazes, though most Uchiha had an earthen affinity, allowing the clan to find the highest quality clays and mineral composition. Children were tested and taught very early on, not only for chakra control and affinity, but the earthen and fire techniques needed for their profession as well. It took many years for most to even learn the basics of the latter.

Their Sharingan not only copied techniques from other potters, strengthening their own position, but also served to spot any imperfection, as well as the 'subtle' convincing of bulk buyers. It was through the latter exercise that their proficiency in Genjutsu, or Illusions, became a fearsome negotiation tactic. Those who were not skilled enough for the various aspects of pottery became clan guards if they had the Sharingan, and laborers if the bloodlimit was dormant.

And then the Senju clan came, though none knew from where exactly, requesting an audience with the Daimyo. Hashirama, flanked by his brother Tobirama, spun tales of expansionistic moguls, monopolistic practices, and burgeoning private militias. The Daimyo was quickly made paranoid, as his own advisors, hidden hands holding the jingling incentive pouches, had hinted at the growing jealousy along the borders.

They were given a commission to raise and train an internal force and were granted a parcel of land near the southern end of the mountainous ranges. The soil here, though containing deep aquifers and a good water table, proved poor for any sort of bounty crop. The sulphur content was just too high, largely in thanks to the many hot springs which dotted this area.

It was here that a possible village was discussed, though the first order of business, after washing away the grit of travel and having a nice long soak, was to gather wood for the required building lumber. The Senju were practical people, and saw no reason to import from River Country what they themselves could provide: trees.

So they gathered together, the clan contributing their chakra so that Hashirama, their best plant manipulator, could produce their primary raw materials. The trunks gave them lumber, the branches and vines gave them ropes and baskets, while the leaves and sawdust would be used in glues, daubing, and insulation. Once preparations were made and the site cleared and leveled, their clan rituals began.

Had they a bird's eye view and a reputable geomancer, or even a water diviner, the Senju might have requested another site, one which was not the foci of multiple leyline wheels. Within a ten mile diameter circle there were no less than six such wheels, their spokes converging beneath hot springs, spokes which ran for hundreds of miles, crossing and crisscrossing other leylines.

It was into these spokes that the Senju's Mokuton was pushed, their bloodlimit combining earth and water to grow plant life at impossible rates. Though their Wood jutsus could be created fast enough for combat, for something of this scale more time was needed. As the ritual wound down, the clan rested and waited. They knew from past experience that their raw materials would be ready in the morning.

It would later be remarked that despite the enormity of the devastation, not a single life was lost during the night. As it were, those who slumbered were gently nudged aside as massive boles pushed through the soil beneath fields, houses and villages. Wherever a tree could grow, it did, infused with the Senju techniques and chakra along resonating leylines, their wheels making complicated crosshatch patterns across the underlying bedrock.

The forests not only grew high, blocking the sun, but out, marching right up to the territorial borders on all fronts. That was not the only oddity. One of marked interest was how no limb grew over the border, not a single twig or leaf. The trunks lined up like soldiers with their backs turned: all branches grew inside Fire Country, not out.

In the span of one night, the Senju, for better or worse, changed the world. Kuni was no longer the breadbasket of the Elemental Nations, all their fields uprooted and overturned by questing roots. And as the other nations were dependent upon Kuni for the bulk of their food, things quickly escalated. There was hoarding, rations and riots. Excursions were started to find arable land, which became incursions when borders were crossed.

There were allegations and undisputed anger. Kuni's Daimyo was replaced shortly after the scope of devastation was realized, and the new one demanded answers. The next voice was that of Uchiha Madara, patriarch and undisputed master of the pottery industry. Their entire livelihood was ruined in the span of a night. Not only were there no more crops, but their clay, the lifeblood of their clan, was hidden by roots and tubers. What clay they could dig up was riddled with pieces of wood.

Had they been able, the various factions, both within and without, would have ended the Senju right then. The only problem was that nobody could find them.

Though the maps of Kuni hadn't changed, insofar as the national borders went, all the landmarks were no longer valid. Villages were gone, though their residents were unharmed, wondering why birch and elm were growing through their homes. Shrines were hidden in the undergrowth or shrouded in vines. Roads had been turned over and buried, their paving stones splintered.

Konoha eventually got its name not from the Senju, but from those trying to find the clan responsible for so much upheaval. Their village was 'that damn place hidden in the leaves.'

The following week, the First Hidden War began, though it didn't last long. Those that entered the dense foliage quickly lost their bearings. The deeper the armies progressed, the more depressed they became, unused to not seeing the sun, surrounded by deep shadows and washed-out hues. As they could not see the sky, they could no longer navigate by stars.

It wasn't long before their provisions ran out, and the armies from fourteen nations, who had yet to meet each other under this twilight canopy, not to mention anyone from Kuni, hunkered down for a miserable winter in make-shift garrisons. It was the worst winter on record, as the massive propagation of tree growth had drastically shifted weather patterns.

The changing winds caused enormous sandstorms in Wind, leading to an unrecoverable dust bowl which blanketed the nation. Earth, far to the northwest, saw their meager topsoil stripped, leaving only rocky badlands behind. Altered ocean currents wreathed Water in a perpetual mist, while in Lightning, glaciers grew at exponential rates, sealing fertile valleys beneath a hundred feet of pack ice.

During that winter, refugees from displaced villages began to congregate at these garrisons, bringing with them various skills and crafts.

Within five years, the garrisons had become villages, their former soldiers now de-facto citizens of Fire Country. It was this way across the country as the villages slowly regrew. They quickly found though that it was far easier to build among the trees and along their lengths than it was clear the land. Whatever the Senju had done, the cut down trees and dislodged stumps would re-grow overnight.

This did lead to a phenomenal lumber industry, as anything cut down was replenished nightly, but excepting those few places along the coast or in the odd crater from the land's prehistory, residents found that it was easier to build up than out, even those along the coast. The latter built out into the lagoons and bays, and then built up.

During the tenth year, the Second Hidden War began, though it was more of a expedition by the various nations to find their missing armies. By the fifteenth year, Fire Country had twice as many villages than before.

This would have been the end of those searching for the Senju, as survival always takes precedence, and with a greatly diminished food supply, other options had to be explored, such as the previously ignored tubers. There had been a long-standing bias against any plant whose edible part was beneath the soil, as that was where dead things were placed.

For those distant from the shore and marine life, philosophical debate could not hold a candle to raw hunger, and it wasn't long before various root vegetables were introduced into the primary Kuni diet. This took some adjusting, since for centuries, all of the Elemental lands had a grain and animal protein based diet.

Additionally, non-poisonous fungi, before seen as useless compared to their lethal brethren, found new life, their growth boosted by the deep shadows and fertile soil. They, along with tubers, found their way to the table.

Due to this hunt for new things to eat, most gave up searching for the Senju responsible for the world-changing mess. But Uchiha Madara was not most people.

Mindful of how easy it was to become disoriented and lost, he forbade any other Uchiha from the search. It would not do to have his clan dispersed through navigational mishaps. He himself, as Uchiha patriarch, would bring the Senju to justice. As an extra precaution, he did leave the means to track his movements, though the massive tree growth had a tendency to throw off the signal.

For those initial fifteen years, as obsessed as only an maniacal obsessive-compulsive person could be, Uchiha Madara scoured the Land of Fire. He had shaped and controlled his environment for well over a hundred and sixty years, only for the Senju to throw his world into chaos. He would repay the favor a thousandfold!

However, even Madara had a limit to his patience, especially given the rage he had been in for over a decade. Utilizing a Fox Summon scroll he found during his journey, he summoned their boss, though he had no right to do so, and quickly bound the kitsune in the strongest illusion Madara had at his disposal.

He gave the great Kyuubi a single directive: Find Senju. And what do you know, it did.

Given how Madara was near the southern tip of the Great Elemental Divide, all Kyuubi did was take a single step and there was the Senju village, hidden in the leaves.

The rest, they say, is history.


End file.
